The ratings for Fringe fell again last week, down to a series low rating of 1.4. The silver lining in this news however, is that all shows last Friday were down. So while it is never good for your rating to drop, it's not so much a reflection on Fringe, as it is TV watching in general on that night. With Valentine's Day on a Monday this year, I know a lot of people who celebrated on Fringe Friday or Saturday instead.

Fringe executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman also had this to say to Give Me My Remote about the low ratings this week:

J.H. Wyman: When CSI goes down 20% and every single show on the night goes down and they [all] had their lowest postings and FRINGE is one of those shows, you can’t single out FRINGE and say, “Oh no.” And we’ve been told, as long as we’re getting a 1.2 [in the important demo] or whatever, that’s okay for Friday nights, man!
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When things go down across the board, the viewers need to understand that that’s okay. That’s when people can rationalize [the ratings decrease]. When they can’t rationalize it is when everything goes up or posts even and your show is going down. That’s the problem. Friday nights…traditionally, nothing has worked [on Fox]. But if we’re continuing with a 1.4, a 1.5 and the DVRs are going up and we’re still posting a 2.3 or 2.4 with the DVRs, that’s good.

“I’m so psyched about it,” says Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly. “It does go to show you the loyalty of the genre audience, when you get the right show. I’m so grateful to that audience, I’d like to shake their hands. We have a lot of passion for that show here.”

Contrast that with his comments about some other low rated shows:

“We have some decisions to make about [Human Target],” Reilly says, “and Lie to Me as well. These shows are not being rejected. They’re doing a consistent and solid number. There are networks [FX?] that would be happy to take those shows. We have to look at our shelf space.”

Fox knows that Fringe has an amazing and loyal fan base, so if Fringe can hang on to a 1.2 to 1.4 everything should be fine. J.H. Wyman suggests the most important thing you can do to help Fringe:

If the viewer can, watch [Fringe] live. If they can’t, DVR it. That’s the message. That’s the only thing people will respond to over at Fox. They’re not going to say, “It’s critically acclaimed and the fans really like it but nobody’s watching it.”

If you DVR the show and can't watch it live, it is important to at least watch it within the first 24 hours, or viewing won't be included in the "Live + Same Day" ratings. Also, don't fast forward through those commercials. Advertisers don't like that ;)

While some will want to tell you that the sky is falling, I'll leave you with these words from Jeff Pinkner:

Our message to our fans would be please don’t fret, watch the show, don’t be anxious and enjoy the story.

Friday’s @FRINGEonFOX jumps +57% from its Live + Same Day A18-49 rating (1.4 > 2.2) #FRINGE

In English, that means the 1.4 rating is adjusted up to 2.2 when you add 3 days of DVR viewings. This is still a little lower than the previous week (2.3), but for what it's worth, it's "the biggest such increase on any broadcast net (% basis) this season."

No, online viewing doesn't count towards ratings. At best, it lets the network know that fans are interested, but TV shows makes an overwhelming majority of their revenue from broadcasts. DVD sales and online doesn't even come close. Someday that will change, but it's the reality today.

If you capable of watching it live on Fox (US resident), but won't watch it live for whatever reason (or at least DVR it, or even just set your cable/satellite tuner to Fox), you are effectively not supporting the show.

I don't trust this Kevin Reilly? He'd gladly tell the producers and the fans that Fringe is doing Really Really Well (hide that forked tongue Kevin). He'd give the Boys in Charge a pat on the back, then cancel the show the second it dipped below 1.2. The proof is in the renewal, and Fringe has yet be to so.

I have a couple questions: Does having a digital set top box (bought from the store) count towards ratings? And how much are you supporting the show to buy the season? Many websites require you to have cable to watch online right away, so there's no way to add to nielson ratings. I do have a cable box normally because of how many is spent watching tv when you have it. thanks